A collection of murder, mystery &suspense authors from Michigan. While we hope to bring you events off the Internet as well, we want to provide you insight to these wonderful novels that either take place in the greatest state or are by authors from this great state.
In the meantime, we hope to blog you to death.

Thursday, March 25, 2010

A cracking good plot is the aim of every story writer. Here we are going to look at a simple but clever formula to construct a plot for a short story that will put your work ahead of the rest.

Let's be clear: you don't have a lot of time to get the story going, develop it and produce a satisfying ending. So things must move along without much waffle or padding.

The first thing is to get off to a good start, and the way to do that is to pitch right in with some attention grabbing stuff.

A is for action.

Put a dollop of attention grabbing action into the very first sentence or paragraph. This doesn't have to be 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' from the word go, but can be your hero rushing to keep an important appointment, or it could be a heated argument, or maybe a near accident involving your hero. Get your reader engaged and they will stick with you.

B is for background.

The next thing is to give your reader some context for the tale you're about to unfold. Things like: Where is the action taking place? What is the name of your hero (which gives the reader his or her gender)? What circumstances led up to the opening paragraph? All these will fill in important background details to help the reader understand the story better. This is also a good place to give a teaser or signpost to what dire events may be about to happen. Such as "Ben fought hard to control his anger. He knew he was only seconds away from making the biggest mistake of his life."

D is for development.

Next we have to let the reader into what the problem is that the hero has to overcome. What is his challenge? What would the outcome be if he failed? Move the story forward with interaction between him and the antagonist (which may not be a person, but anything that is stopping him from getting his life back to normal). When other characters enter the story remember to 'show not tell'. That is to say bring in dialogue to show what is going on, together with emotion. Fear, love, insecurity, anguish. You name it.

C is for climax or conflict.

The is the part which the story has been building towards. The final countdown where the hero faces the challenge which will bring about success or failure. The climax is a conflict or a fight. A real physical one or a fight to overcome circumstances or emotions, or to save a loved one. Bring him through this (usually successfully) and then show your reader how the whole experience has changed him and made him a better person.

E is for ending.

Your hero has got his life and circumstances sorted, has fallen into the arms of his beloved, and all, thankfully, is now well. Your reader breathes a sigh of relief. But are there any loose ends to be tidied up? Do that here. Be succinct though. The story has been told, but your reader may worry if there are any unresolved threads left hanging.

This simple formula has stood the test of time and, whilst the actual plot is up to you, using it will give your readers a satisfying experience and leave them wanting more.

Fiction books are amongst the most popular genres found in the writing world today. As you will know, writers of popular fiction books and novels are having a field day and making hay while the sun shines as they are seeing newer and newer horizons of popularity.

Crisp and Fresh Fiction Sells
Fiction undoubtedly is the main stay of contemporary writing these days. There's surely more than one thing that makes fiction well-liked and admired amongst readers. Besides being crisp and fresh, they include a lot of suspense and secrets that are embedded within the story to make it more enduring and interesting.

This type of fiction is trendier with writers of suspense and thriller novels. You can see this trend even with adventure novels where writers introduce a bit of intrigue and secrets to make the novel more interesting and appealing to a large section of readers.

Popular Fiction: Flush with suspense and secrets
Using suspense and secrets is getting more and more routine and common with a large number of new writers entering the writing circuit. Many are happy to see their novels published and well accepted amongst the general population, while others struggle to earn even a penny or a dime. Well, we are not here to discuss earnings, but filling up a fiction novel or a book with suspense and secrets will undoubtedly increase the readership base and the popularity index of novels or fiction books.

Many writers such as Agatha Christie, Dan Brown, J. K. Rowling, and others have successfully used the suspense element in their novels. Readers will surely have gone through popular suspense fiction like the Rainmaker, Along Came a Spider, Digital Fortress, The Bourne Identity, Jurassic Park, and many others.

Suspense - Adding a dash of flavour to Fiction
Suspense makes the novel interesting and the story attention grabbing. Suspense adds flavor to the story and makes the story gripping and hard to put down. Without suspense, many of the popular novels would lose their appeal and appear quite bland instead.

Suspense: Is there need of a formula?
Some writers believe that fiction books involving suspense can be written using a formula and the first thing that most staple suspense novels have formulated is the end. Most fiction books and suspense novels are written with a predetermined formula in mind. Writing a suspense novel usually includes determining the plot, the story, the characters, the various sub plots, the twists and the climax, and the ending.

There may be some disputes about this, but creating a plausible end first makes the writer more confident about the beginning and the rest of the story that follows to make up the body.

Suspense as the bait
Fiction books that use suspense as the bait usually keep the plot hidden as long as the story makes it possible. The suspense is only revealed as a sort of last resort because without revealing the suspense, the story cannot flow further. Moreover, there cannot be just one standard formula for suspense novels, so fiction writers use a variety of approaches to create a successful suspense novel. That's how suspense and secrets get embedded into fiction to create a popular and everlasting read.

Online Bookstore India - Infibeam.com is an exciting new online destination & community that focuses on selling Electronics, Home & Lifestyle products, Automobiles, Gifts, and a lot more at lowest prices and free shipping in India. Its latest announcement is Fiction Books Best Selling, at guaranteed lowest price.

Why is Gayle Lynds Coming to ThrillerFest?Gayle is coming to meet readers. "We writers tend to be isolated, working alone on books and stories we hope will be read and enjoyed," she says. "I'm touched every time a reader tells me he or she likes one of my books. There is nothing like the thrill of it."

Where can you catch up with Gayle and the rest of your favorite thriller authors? "The bar at ThrillerFest is the adjunct panel room," Gayle answers. "It's where authors and fans go to get together to discuss, discuss, discuss. On Saturday afternoon, as the bar buzzed, and orders for Diet Pepsis and martinis and Heinekens filled the air, I arrived, a half hour on my hands. I seriously doubted I'd find anyone I knew to sit with. Within five feet I saw a group of people I'd met, and they waved me over. And then a couple at the bar called my name. And finally my roommate, who went to ThrillerFest knowing almost no one, gestured from across the room. She was sitting with another large group. ThrillerFest is not only exciting and jam packed with fun, it's truly friendly. I wouldn't miss it for anything."ThrillerFest V -- THE #1 conference for thriller authors and fans. July 7 - 10 at the Grand Hyatt in New York. Gayle Lynds is coming - are you?~~~~~~~~~~

WATCHLIST: Two Serial Thrillers in One Killer Book!

Imagine a literary jam session with 22 of your favorite masters of pulse-pounding fiction and you have WATCHLIST: Two Serial Thrillers in One Killer Book. Jeffery Deaver conceived of the characters and put the plot into motion and Jim Fusilli added a sharp editorial eye, finely orchestrating this chorus of suspense that includes such top writers as Lee Child, Joseph Finder, Lisa Scottoline, Gayle Lynds and many others. Dramatic tension ties the novellas together as each thriller titan leads the reader down dark alleys and around blind corners, saving the fireworks for the climactic endings, also crafted by Jeffery Deaver.

This two-fisted tome has the chills, breakneck pacing, and diabolical switchbacks that thriller lovers have come to expect. Reading into the wee, small hours is practically guaranteed.

~~~~~~~~~~Book Giveaway

Congratulations to Kent Smith, the winner of this month's BIG THRILL giveaway. Kent will receive an assortment of signed thrillers including Frame-Up by John F. Dobbyn

False Mermaid by Erin Hart, Merry, Merry Ghost by Carolyn Hart, Dead on Arrival by Jackie Griffey, Drink the Tea by Thomas Kaufman, Broken Places by Sandra Parshall, Raining Cat Sitters and Dogs by Blaize Clement, The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker by Leanna Renee Hieber, The Bone Chamber by Robin Burcell, The Little Death by P.J. Parrish, The Cold Room by J.T. Ellison, The Gray Man by Mark Greaney, Original Sin by Allison Brennan and Stress Fracture by D.P. Lyle.

All subscribers to THE BIG THRILL webzine are automatically eligible for the monthly drawing. Click here to subscribe to the BIG THRILL email.

Now that you've read the latest thrillers from your favorite authors like Brad Thor, Steve Berry and Tess Gerritsen, wouldn't it be great to know who THEY are recommending for your next read? Check out Thrilling Listens at Audible.com for the latest recommendations.~~~~~~~~~~

Shop the ITW StoreAnything and everything ITW is at the Store. Key rings, T-shirts, hats, mouse pads, coffee mugs--you name it and we've got it. Visit the official ITW Store today and display your pride in being a fan of the International Thriller Writers. ~~~~~~~~~~

Authors and Publishers

Looking for a great way to promote your new thriller? Our BIG THRILL email can showcase your book to over 11,000 dedicated thriller fans. Each month we offer three advertising sidebar slots in the BIG THRILL email along with our top banner ad. You can produce your artwork or we'll put you in touch with a designer who can create your ad for a small fee. For details or to reserve your slot today, e-mail us at BigThrillAd@thrillerwriters.org.~~~~~~~~~~